• ESPN and Uninterrupted, the digital media company founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, will debut an original series, More Than An Athlete, Nov. 20, exclusively on ESPN+. The eight-episode series follows James’ journey from basketball prodigy to global sports icon, businessman and philanthropist via the bonds of friendship and partnership among four men over more than two decades: James, Carter, Randy Mims and Rich Paul.

• The NFL and Mexico's President-Elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed that the third game of the existing agreement signed in 2016 will be played in 2019 at Estadio Azteca. The date and time of the game will be determined in conjunction with the release of the 2019 NFL schedule next spring

• NBC Sports and the Premier League are partnering to present their second Premier League Mornings Live, scheduled to take place in New York on Saturday, Dec. 8. The event will include a turf pitch, the Premier League trophy, club mascots and special guests. The initial fan fest in September was attended by more than 2,000 on a rooftop overlooking the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.

• Between now and Nov. 19, every use of #SaluteToService on Twitter will generate a $5 donation, up to $5 million, to the NFL’s military non-profit partners – including the Pat Tillman Foundation, TAPS, USO, Wounded Warrior Project and the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

August 6, 2018: Van Heusen and Trifecta Nutrition just signed on as a marketing partners with UFC and the alliances may already be paying dividends.

In what UFC president Dana White is calling the ‘biggest fight in the history of (UFC),” former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor will face current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in a match scheduled for UFC 229 on Oct. 8.

The McGregor-Khabib event will take place in T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, and will be shown on PPV, according to White, who is predicting a UFC record PPV buy topping two million.

White unveiled the match during a special press conference on Friday (Aug. 3) in Los Angeles, the main focus of which was UFC 227 the next night in Staples Center and a bevy of bouts to take place later this year.

McGregor’s last fight was when he trained and entered the ring as a boxer on Aug. 26, 2017, losing in a 10th-round TKO against Floyd Mayweather Jr., also in T-Moble Arena.

McGregor — aka The Notorous MMA — last fought for UFC in November 2016

As for McGregor-Khabib pre-fight build-up:

“We don’t have time for a world tour,” White said Saturday night (Aug. 4) during the UFC 227 post-fight press conference, referring to the mega-promotion that preceded McGregor’s fight with Mayweather Jr. last year.

““These guys are going to fight the first week of October. Both guys are going to go into camp. We’ll do something fun,. We’ll do some different stuff. We’re literally having a big meeting on Monday to get this stuff in order and get it going. Then we’ll tell you guys about it.”

It certainly would be welcomed by such UFC partners as Monster Energy, Modelo, Body Armor, Reebok, Van Heusen and Trifecta Nutrition, which have pre- and day-of fight promotion platforms and in many cases get signage in and around the Octagon.

Anticipation for McGregor’s return will be also be big among McGregor’s sponsors, which currently include Beats by Dr. Dre, Burger King and Monster Energy.

UFC in May signed a five-year, $1.5 billion deal that will put all UFC programming on ESPN platforms, moving the entire rights package from Fox Sports starting January 2019.

Although not showing the MMA bout itself, ESPN is likely to go all-in on pre- and post-bout coverage..

And while not mentioned in the McGregor-Khabib conversation as yet, Mayweather Jr. is likely to chime in as the fight draws near.

As a resident of Las Vegas, he could even be in attendance.

White, meanwhile, got the hype rolling on his own.

After 25 minutes of the Friday pre-UFC 227 press conference, White said, “I have one more thing I want to show you,” which led to a screen clip of McGregor, Khabib and the fight’s date and location.

“They’re not here, unfortunately.,” White said when the lights came back on. “But the fight is done. October, Las Vegas.

None the less, numbers won’t reach the Mayweather Jr.-McGregor level.

The total global revenue from that event exceeded $600 million, including ticket sales, sponsorship and international distribution, according to Showtime Sports.

PPV buys topped 4.2 million in North America alone, according to Showtime.

Mayweather Jr. took home at least $300 million, McGregor $100 million, according to industry analysts,

The rivalry between McGregor and Khabib, which dates back more than a decade, heated up in Brooklyn, NY, in the underbelly of Barclays Center this past April when McGregor tossed a hand truck at a bus following a press event for UFC 223, injuring two UFC fighters.

Khabib and two teammates were on the bus.

UFC 223 included a victorious bout from Khabib in which the UFC awarded him the lightweight championship title that had belonged McGregor.

McGregor last week pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in exchange for community service, He was originally charged with assault, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief.

White said pre-fight altercations between McGregor and Khabib were not likely to happen. But he was smiling when he said it.

“We’re pretty confident that we can control what happens,” White said during the post-UFC 227 press conference. “We’re very aware. Nothing is going to happen. We’ll be good.”